News Sourced by Property118 News Team The rise of buy to let is more about the decline of social housing in the UK over recent years, according to the latest housing statistics from the Communities and Local Government Department. The gap between private and social renting has steadily shrunk from 3 million to just 200,000 […]

Buy to let looks to continue to prosper as surveyors presented a drab picture of the construction industry. The government has admitted the country needs an influx of infrastructure and housing projects to boost the economy and provide much needed homes over the few years. Although difficulties in sourcing mortgages are holding back home buyers, […]

Buy to let investors searching for homes offering the best value need to look north, according to online portal Zoopla. Property prices in London and South East – and towns within easy commuting distance like Northampton and Swindon – are commanding higher values with less room for price negotiation.

The latest landlord and property related news including guest articles from industry experts covering property management best practice.  Angus Ryan stresses the importance of having the right landlord property insurance, the ever entertaining HMO landlady shares her tale of cowboy builders and Mark Alexander adds two more compelling blogs to his Landlord’s Log posing questions […]

Too many self-interest groups are inflating the real rents buy to let landlords are picking up, claims letting specialist Belvoir. Data and interpretations are out of step with reality because most of the claims are from operators around London, where rents are much higher than elsewhere. Belvoir – which has 140 nationwide offices – has […]

Time is running out for buy to let investors in Wales who wish to make their feelings known about proposals to set up a compulsory landlords register. The date for responses to the Welsh Assembly Government ‘Meeting the Housing Challenge’ closes on February 14. The government is planning a nationwide register and accreditation of landlords […]

After moving into my ex-HMO and refurbishing it last year, I decided that I wanted an open fire or woodburner. I’ve always wanted one and seemed to have come so close a few times but then sold a house before my dream could become a reality – husband citing it as a poor investment. During […]

Buildings insurance for a property is generally the responsibility of the owner or landlord. Tenants must still take out contents insurance to cover their possessions if they want to be protected against theft or fire damage, though for example. This is even more relevant in a House in Multiple Occupation letting to students or professionals. […]

Premium tenancies are something I’ve heard a bit about from a few different landlords in various parts of the Country who don’t know each other. This leads me to believe that these tenancies are more than just an urban myth but I have to admit that they are something I know very little about. However, I’ll share […]

The tax man has lost a key case that allows holiday let owners claim business property relief against inheritance tax. HM Revenue & Customs has argued for many years that holiday lets are an investment, not a business, and as such are not allowed to claim the relief unless the owner was ‘substantially’ involved with […]

Firms buying homes and renting them back to struggling home owners who are often trying to avoid repossession have stopped trading after a Financial Services Authority investigation. The FSA says most of the schemes should never have been sold as they were either unaffordable or unsuitable solutions for homeowners. The schemes were marketed under several […]

Do you think Landlords need to have a Data Protection Licence? My opinion of this is that the rules are very clear. Any person carrying on business who holds personal and/or financial data about other people should be licensed and take proper care to protect any data they hold, whether that’s computer or paper records. To quote […]

House prices in East and Central Scotland have fallen over the past three months according to the latest house price report from ESPC, and they don’t expect things to change. On average, Edinburgh has seen a drop of 1.1% in the course of the year, but the properties in the city centre increased in value […]

The latest news and cash flow tips for landlords. Vanessa Warwick offers her top 6 strategies to improve cash flow, Mary Latham calls on all landlords to understand what impact the Governments freeze on rents will have across the sector and Mark Alexander explains Property118’s relationship with Property Tribes, our chosen forum partner.

The UK Government is backing plans to encourage elderly homeowners to down-size to smaller properties. The move will enable councils to rent out their larger homes to overcrowded families. The new plans which were recently announced by Housing Minister Grant Shapps, intends to assist young families that are finding it difficult to find affordable housing […]

The National Landlords Association announced Friday – “We have just learned from the Department for Work and Pensions that LHA rates are to be frozen from April this year.” If you are thinking “Thank goodness my tenants are not on benefits” don’t stop reading because one P45 can change all of that. I didn’t take […]

I am often asked what the relationship is between Property Tribes and Property118. Some people even get the impression that there is common ownership based on the fact that they see the owners interacting so often on each others websites. To clarify the relationship I’ve written this blog.

Hard pressed landlords are looking at switching tough to let offices in the square mile to swish apartments for City high fliers to make ends meet. Pension funds and developers are buying up disused commercial buildings that were home to thriving banks and financial services companies in Central London.

Landlords in Peterborough are enjoying the best rental returns of anywhere – even the flying high yields in London, according to letting agents haart. Peterborough reigns supreme for one, two and three bedroom homes, says the first buy to let index from the letting agent, which has offices across England and Wales. Property investors in […]

As all Landlords should appreciate, property investment is a business. It’s not something you should ever attempt to do “as a hobby”, “reluctantly”, “on the side”, “accidentally” …. .  There’s too much at stake for that, up to and including the wellbeing of your tenants, who you are responsible for in the eyes of the law. […]

A London council has set up the first local authority full management lettings agency for rental homes in the capital. Harrow Council has run a property finding service for tenants but is extending the service to manage homes for landlords.